Ascribe It to Editing Lapse

Posted on August 8, 2019 by JMN

writing plume

Domestic terrorism includes violence by Americans who belong to anti-government militias, white supremacist groups or individuals who ascribe to similar ideologies not connected to Islamic extremism.

(Frank Figliuzzi, “I Predicted More Hate-Based Violence. El Paso Won’t Be the End of It,” NYTimes, 7-31-19)

I’ve no bone to pick with Mr. Figliuzzi’s message; only with his verb. It should be “subscribe” instead of “ascribe.”

Some may consider niceties of lexicon and syntax to be irrelevant in texts that deal with deadly matters. I choose to believe a text’s message gains force by being expressed accurately and with good form.

(c) 2019 JMN

About JMN

I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.
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